'CSI: NY' Is Shooting For The Sky

See Also: 'Down the Rabbit Hole' Episode Guide

CSI creator Anthony Zuiker is excited about the upcoming episode of CSI: New York that dips into the online world.

"Cross-platforming is the future of television--which is television, mobile, online and gaming--and we're staring to experiment with that," Zuiker told TV Guide. "To ask 16 million people to watch the show, and then participate in the virtual world and make that a living, sustaining entity is very exciting." Zuiker was referring to the upcoming episode of New York that will tie in with the online world of Second Life.

"Down the Rabbit Hole", which airs on October 24, finds the CSI: NY team investigating the murder of a woman who seems familiar to lab tech Adam Ross (AJ Buckley). He didn't know the victim, but he recognized her from Second Life--the woman was dressed like Venus, a famous avatar from the virtual world. "I think this may be the first time a television show has interacted so specifically with the Internet," said Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor). "The virtual world of this episode is really fun, entertaining and cutting edge. Anthony Zuiker always seems to have his finger on the pulse of what's coming next."

The appearance of Second Life on the show will lead into the appearance of New York in Second Life. "This will be the biggest cross-platform play in television," Zuiker said. "As you're watching the show, you can register online to be part of the CSI: NY virtual lab, which will be open for business [after the episode]." Fans will be allowed to choose an avatar and play different CSI-related online games. The storyline from "Down the Rabbit Hole" will continue in February with another episode related to Second Life. This time Zuiker plans to add another element to the mix. If everything goes according to plan, the show will have "a Grammy-caliber artist, both on the February show and hosting a live concert in Second Life after the show ends. It'll be the first time in history that ever happened. We're shooting for the sky."

Meanwhile, in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation news, TV Guide reports that Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) will have some problems in upcoming episodes. His divorce from Tina only got a quick mention in "A La Cart", but the story is not over. "Warrick's front and center," said executive producer Carol Mendelsohn. "In a season of change, his future with CSI is on the line." In an upcoming episode, Warrick will dabble in sex, drugs and alcohol as he struggles to deal with his divorce. "As always, [Gil] Grissom (William Petersen) sees what's going on and protects his team," Mendelsohn said.

Check out next week's episode of TV Guide for the full articles.

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